Battle of Peterswalde

Prussian Bohemia Incursion
	Part of the Third Silesian War (Seven Years' War)
Date	14 April – 20 April 1759; (6 days)
Location	Peterswald, Bohemia, Holy Roman Empire
Result	Prussian victory Austrian munition magazines and 200+ ships destroyed; Austrian military Summer campaign delayed;
Belligerents
Prussia	Holy Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Prince Henry of Prussia; Johann Dietrich von Hülsen; Johann Jakob von Wunsch	Feldmarshall Lieutenant Ernst Gideon von Laudon; General Reinhardt (POW); Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein
Units involved
Prince Henry's vanguard	I./Andlau Infanterie-Regiment; I.Battalion Königsegg Infanterie; Croatian soldiers; Hungarian foot
Strength
?	3,400+ men
Casualties and losses
Unknown	~3,000 captured; 3 guns

50°47′13″N 13°58′43″E / 50.78694°N 13.97861°E / 50.78694; 13.97861

The Prussian Bohemia Incursion was a military campaign led by the Prince Henry of Prussia during the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War), to disrupt the Austrian military capacity by launching incursions against its military infrastructure in Bohemia.

The incursion

On 14 April Prince Henry of Prussia crossed the Ore Mountains in two columns:

Prince Henri's column: 13 bns, 20 sqns
General Hülsen's column: 8 bns and 12 sqns

On 15 April Prince Henry's column entered into Bohemia at Peterswalde, now part of the Czech Republic, while Hülsen marched to Passberg. Peterswalde was the site of a

Archbishop of Mainz; in the subsequent skirmish, Wunsch's Prussians took one officer and 22 men prisoner.^[2]^[3] About 600 Grenzers and some Hungarian foot guarded a redoubt on an eminence beyond Peterswalde. Prince Henri's vanguard divided into two bodies, one proceeded to Aussig (present-day Ústí nad Labem), the other to Töpplitz (present-day Teplice); forcing the defenders to abandon their position. The magazine of Aussig was destroyed and about 200 boats on the Elbe burnt. Meanwhile, Hülsen found the pass of Passberg strongly guarded by General Reinhard (I./Andlau Infantry, 1 battalion of Königsegg Infantry, about 1,000 grenzers and hussars for a total of about 2,800 men). Hülsen led his cavalry around the Austrian positions and attacked them on the rear while his infantry launched a frontal attack. He drove the Austrians from their entrenchments, capturing the general, 51 officers and 2,000 men along with 3 colours, 2 standards and 3 guns. The remnants of Reinhard's force retreated to Trautenau (present-day Trutnov

) where they joined Loudon.

On 16 April Prince Henri's vanguard returned to his column at Welmina (probably present-day

Count Leopold Joseph von Daun was at Jermer (present-day Jaroměř

). This raid considerably delayed his operations that summer.

On 20 April Prince Henri, having reached his objectives, ordered to retire with some 3,000 prisoners and reached Saxony three days later.^[4]^[5]

References

^ Operations Plan dererjenigen Corps so von der Prinz Heinrichschen Armée, unter dem Gen: v. Hülsen, und Obr: Lieut. v. Wunsch, sich derer Oesterreichischen Magazins in Böhmen bemächtiget von 14. bis 20. April 1759.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Henry Lloyd. Geschichte des siebenjährigen Krieges in Deutschland. Berlin, 1787, vol. 3, p. 56.
^ Thomas Tegg, Chronology; or, The historian's companion: being an authentic register of events, from the earliest period to the present time, comprehending an epitome of universal history, with a copious list of the most eminent men in all ages of the world, p.39
^ A Complete History of the Present War, from its Commencement in 1756, to the End of the Campaign, 1760, London, 1761, pp. 365-366
^ Hotham, The operations of the Allied Amy under the command of his Serene Highness Prince Ferdinand Duke of Brunswic and Luneberg beginning in the year 1757 and ending in the year 1762, London: T. Jefferies, 1764, p. 75-80

[1] Operations Plan dererjenigen Corps so von der Prinz Heinrichschen Armée, unter dem Gen: v. Hülsen, und Obr: Lieut. v. Wunsch, sich derer Oesterreichischen Magazins in Böhmen bemächtiget von 14. bis 20. April 1759.

[geschichte-2] Henry Lloyd. Geschichte des siebenjährigen Krieges in Deutschland. Berlin, 1787, vol. 3, p. 56.

[3] Thomas Tegg, Chronology; or, The historian's companion: being an authentic register of events, from the earliest period to the present time, comprehending an epitome of universal history, with a copious list of the most eminent men in all ages of the world, p.39

[4] A Complete History of the Present War, from its Commencement in 1756, to the End of the Campaign, 1760, London, 1761, pp. 365-366

[5] Hotham, The operations of the Allied Amy under the command of his Serene Highness Prince Ferdinand Duke of Brunswic and Luneberg beginning in the year 1757 and ending in the year 1762, London: T. Jefferies, 1764, p. 75-80

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